The 2027 Line Drive HOT 100 kicks off Monday and will run through the end of the month, counting down and spotlighting the players No.’s 100 to 1.

One player certain to make the cut is Nia Melendez, a talented third baseman from Stevenson Ranch, Calif. who attends Sierra Canyon High School and plays for the Explosion Black Kim/Adame 16U team where she’s typically batting in the cleanup spot.

Nia possesses a strong arm and power bat and last year helped lead her Explosion team to a 7^th place finish at PGF Premier Nationals.

As one Explosion coach remarked recently:

“Nia is a player who can change a game with one swing of the bat.”

As a freshman this spring, she made a dynamic entrance at the varsity level, leaded her team in hits, walks, batting average, home runs, walks, RBIs, runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and was second in doubles and triples.

Repeat: all of that as just a freshman.

And, sure to make her parents equally proud, Nia carries a 4.3 GPA.

The talented Golden State prospect is also coming off dominating performances at the highest stage of international play—the U15 Pan American Championship in Peru and the U15 Japan World Cup in Tokyo.

Nia was a Silver Medalist recipient in the U15 Japan World Cup which included elite teams such as the United States, Japan, Mexico, Chinese-Taipei and more.

Impressively, the power-hitting corner infielder stroked the game winning RBIs versus Mexico and Chinese-Taipei in the medal round and was named to the All-World Team and awarded an individual plaque for “Most Tournament RBIs.”

Additionally, she ranked Top 5 in the tournament for batting average, home runs, and runs knocked in and was the first player to ever hit an OTF homerun—a 220-foot fence, mind you—in the U15 World Cup which she did in her first at-bat in Japan.

Nia takes pride in being a vocal leader on the team and being a highly coachable player. Her power bat has been consistently measured at camps in the 75-to-78 mph exit velo range and, as a 2027 graduate, she has already garnered interest from several Power 5 schools.

What’s also amazing: the 2027 grad is the third sibling in the Melendez family this year to make the Line Drive HOT 100 rankings.

Her younger sisters were also recognized as catcher Nylah Melendez made the Class of 2028’s Top 10 in May, who is now with the USA Athletics Rogers 16U team, and infielder Naima Melendez, who continues her player in the BSC Bengals programs, was ranked in the Top 60 of the  2029 Hot 100 that came out in April.

You don’t have to look far to see where the sisters get their drive to be the best at their respective age groups: both parents are US Army combat veterans who instill selflessness, discipline, and sportsmanship in all of their student-athlete daughters.

By the end of July, the girls’ parents will be able to proudly say that Nia, too, is a Line Drive HOT 100 honoree and one of the top softball players in her class giving the Golden State-based family elite prospects in each of the 2027, ’28 and ’29 classes… quite the accomplishment!

Here are the bios for each of Nia’s younger siblings when they were published earlier this spring:

T-9—Nylah Melendez, C/3B, Athletics – Mercado Tidd/Iwai
Nylah has an impressive power bat and has recently taken on the challenge of playing up two years older than her age group with a top 16U club in Southern California, USA Athletics Gold 2026 – Lehr 2026. For most of the current season, Nylah Melendez has played under Coach Andy Iwai and Coach Brian Tidd for one of the elite 2028 teams in the nation, Athletics Mercado Tidd-/Iwai. She helped her previous team attain a record of 58-12-3 while starting at catcher and predominantly batting cleanup in the lineup. Nylah is regarded as an elite power hitter but, impressively, has caught over 200 innings thus far in her 2023-2024 season while only allowing an average of one stolen base per 10 innings of play. Her elite bat was also in display at the international play in the U15 Pan American Championship in Peru and the U15 Japan World Cup in Tokyo where Nylah was named to the U15 Puerto Rico National Team as the youngest player on her team and one of the youngest in the entire international competition. In the U15 World Cup in Japan, playing versus the top 15-year-old players in the world, Nylah led Team Puerto Rico in on-base percentage, and was third on the team in batting average and slugging percentage. 

T-57—Naima Melendez, 3B, BSC Bengals – Merrilees
Naima is an elite-armed third baseman with a big power bat who plays for her Southern California-based team considered one of the top 2011 squads on the West Coast. The Bengals played against many of the best programs in the 2029 class as well as 14U teams throughout 2023 season and compiled a 35-11-1. Naima’s elite bat and advanced fielding were in constant display as her team participated in PGF Nationals Premier among other top tournaments during the year and hit .365 overall and .429 with runners in scoring position. She is the younger sister of Nia Melendez, one of the top 2027 prospects in the country, who in 2023 was an All-World selection and All Tournament RBI Leader at the U15 Japan World Cup as well s Nylah Melendez who is regarded as a top 2028 prospect at catcher, 2022 PGF National Champion and a Top 20 player in her class. Naima’s parents are both US Army veterans who instill a sense of discipline and accountability in their daughters’ student-athlete lifestyles.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball